My Favorite Day

Everyday of the week holds its own special title.

Mondays are usually Manic (yup, the Bangles nailed that one!)

Tuesdays are Turbulent around here because that is a big clean day and everything from Monday you couldn't accomplish ran over into Tuesday and looks like the sludge on the side of a river bank you do not want to touch after a flood.

Wednesdays are always Welcomed because it is the middle of the week and things just might be manageable that day.

Thursdays are Thankful because I finished the house cleaning every and do my little victory dance since I have conquered the house for another week and we have the weekend within our grasp!

Fridays are Freestyle.  No homework (hip hip hooray!!!!), the beginning to either a relaxing couple of days (yeah right!) or at the very least, usually the start to some fun and mischief of some kind.

Saturdays are usually a Sprint.  One activity followed by another and some jogging may be involved in between.  Racing to be everywhere on time and hopefully not forgetting anything, or anyone.  But, it always ends perfectly with church and dinner out.

But...  Sundays.  Ahhh, Sundays.  These are my Serene, Smooth, Still, Scrumptious days.   We wake up and stay in our pajamas.  Brian starts the pancakes from scratch while the music starts and the girls start to play.  After feasting on the best pancakes EVER!  (Seriously) We pull the ottomans over to the couch, set up the comfy blankets, pile in and watch a movie together.  I don't move for two hours and I am under a pile of kiddos.  It is the best.  After some showers and a quick lunch, since we are still very full from pancakes, we all head to bed for a nap.  It is a Harden rule that everyone naps on Sundays!  That is etched in stone and can not be changed- sorry.

Sunday nights our Life Group gathers at our home and we eat more, laugh more, watch the girls do crazy and silly things and we delve into our faith, understand, friendships and respect for one another.  Then it is bed time.  Usually a little late, but it is all good.

Everyday of the week has a title, but Sundays are my favorite.  How about you?

The Tower that Wasn't

Well, I am sorry to disappoint.  I really am.  But, we did not get around to doing our Tower Garden this winter as we would have hoped.  We had all intentions and then time went on fast forward and here we are!  What I did want to say, and show you, is that even though we did not do a winter growing season many people did and here are a couple of examples.

This one is a woman who lives in Central Indiana where we have had a very cold winter at times, but her indoor tower is going strong, looking beautiful, cleaning the air of a stagnant winter home and filling it with a fresh scent of new growth. Here is what she said,

"Tower Garden update from cold and snowy Indiana! Trimmed my herbs back ONE week ago and planted lettuce starters....left it with grow lights on and wrapped w reflector shield....here's the unveiling! Look at the size of those basil leaves...had a yummy green breakfast....fresh, pesticide free and home-grown right in the midst of a blizzard. Growing indoors may not be for you but get ready for spring and get yours now."

Here is another Tower that stays outside all year round in Tallahassee Florida!  She said, 

"Even in January, I can go on my back porch and pick Pak Choy, Parsley, Romaine and Leaf Lettuce, and Eggplant for dinner tonight!:)"

So, even though this mama couldn't get her act together to get the Tower up and running I am glad to see that others did and hopefully next winter we will.  In the meantime we are busy planning and picking out what will go in our Tower this spring!  I love that the summer is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables right outside our door.  We learned a lot of things in our first growing season.  I have shared many of them with you and I will go through them again as the months grow warmer and we prepare to get growin'!  

If you want to take a look and see what this Tower Garden is and how it works, go to www.nharden.towergarden.com and you can always contact me with questions about how it works, pricing, payment plans etc.  This would make a GREAT Mother's gift for any mother of any age!  Maybe some dad's out there are into gardening and clean eating as well!

Case of the Grumps!

Is anyone else feeling a bit overwhelmed this January?  Maybe it is just me, but the cosmos seems to be shoveling things on that I just do not have room for and it is making me a lot more crabby than I would like!

Things like a destroyed fab for the brand new van after a snow plow played hockey with it.

Or having nap time result in this a few days in a row..

How about resorting to bribery for potty training that has taken a few giant steps backward over the holiday? (No, she hasn't earned it yet!)

I make the mistake, far too often, (and I know I am not the only one) and I get wrapped up in everything that doesn't matter and I forget what does.  It is what makes the days seem long and the years oh so short because what we remember in a year is the important parts and they have been abbreviated with inconsequentials so often.

I was so thankful for our spring wave last week.  It gave me that itch to get out of the house and breathe some fresh air in and enjoy just being.

I love when a look from your child, that you were about ready to go crazy on a minute ago, just wipes it all away and reminds you of everything that is worth something.  

I will continue to pray for more clarifying moments like those and in the mean time I need to find one of those car size bows to wrap around my finger for a reminder.  

  

Razzle Dazzle

It is NOT often that a mom of four little ladies gets to get dressed up.  Really dressed up I mean, without going into the bottomless "dress-up" bin.  Getting a decent set of clothes and making sure I am not stepping out of the house wearing slippers or still adorned with Barbie crowns and butterfly barrettes is usually the more realistic goal.  But, for this one night, at Brian's work party for Exact Target, I was able to really dress up...  adult style.

Now, when you take three little girls shopping with you the day of the event, cart them around three different  stores for three hours, impede on their nap-time and end up feeding them lunch at the bookstore, you might think you are loosing your mind.  I thought I would, but it was actually a fun, but utterly exhausting, time.  The girls loved helping mommy get things to dress up.  There was carefully child selected dress choices, fashion shows and a trio of judges.  So, of course, I ended up with the most glittery, razzle, dazzle dress we could find paired with fun shoes, earrings and bracelet.  When I came downstairs they literally gasped.  It was a fun mommy moment.

Thanks to Papaw and Grandma we were able to go.  Even though Brian's dad was facing kidney stone surgery this week he was determined to not only watch our girls at the house, but my two nieces as well since my sister in law had asked us months ago to watch her girls so they could go to a wedding.  So, we set off and left them with six excited little girls between 7 and 3 years of age!!!

Brian escorted me to a great venue downtown called The Crane Bay and we had an incredible time meeting people, dancing, eating, drinking, and just being a part of such an Orange atmosphere of creative and motivated people.  It was such a fun night.  It isn't often that Brian and I get to get out and it is such a reminder of the "us-ness" of us.

When my feet simply could not function properly any longer we called it a night and made it home to find all the girls still awake on movie number three and ready for some sleep.  All six girls nestled into the twins room for one late night.

Well...  some of them.  Journey, the YOUNGEST, was awake until about 12:30am declaring her un-sleepy state.  That girl!

shhhhh...   The others were fast asleep when we went in the last time.

Great night for everyone.  Thank you to Grandma Vickie and Papaw for helping us all out and the girls loved it!

Winter Break Unscripted

Where did the time go?  I look back at the pictures and remember such fun times with the girls and family and friends.  Two weeks of time packed into a small beautiful gift wrapped box!  Wish I could keep these girls home longer.  I really do!

Because it is FAR to much to write about and if I do write about all of it you will fall asleep by the end, here is a photo trail of how our two weeks were lived.

First it was a trip to Michigan!

Dad was there with us...

Picture by the tree!                      

Grandma got them all adorable hats!

Aunt Corinne and Grandma made each of the girls SUPER comfy fleece blankets!  Katie loves blankets too.  

Here we are!  Mom, Corinne, Chris and Me!

Mom had really nice ornaments made to hang on the tree for Dad.

Making yummy things with Grandma!

Oh these silly girls!

Home for Christmas!

Christmas Eve Service at Church!

Dinner at Bucca's where Skyla randomly hit her head on her chair and passed out on the floor only to have nurses and medical professionals rush over.  All is good, but she has a soft noggin that one!

Cookies and Carrots for Santa and Reindeer! 

Christmas Morning!!!!  A letter always sits on the table at the top of the stairs for them.  Sneaky Santa!

Run to the stockings first!

This year the girls all received CD players with their own CD's (and headphones!!!), American Girl doll clothes, lots of books, window seat for the twins and a desk for Sky , games for their Explorers and more.

Time to play in the snow and loose the keys, of course, while we are at it!!  

Off To Bloomington IN!

This is Brian's "I am awesome and playing the Wii in my cool shorts" pose, if you were wondering.

These two are a crack up.  Brian and his Uncle Jim are great friends and play off of each other to no end!

More Snow!!!

Fun new toys!  Boogie Boards!

Matching American Girl Doll and girl clothes!  They LOVE them!

Home Again!

Journey's random allergic reaction to a new lotion.  She looks way torn up about it doesn't she?

 New Years!!!!!

Life Group Men!

Life Group Women

Adults...  I guess you could call us.

Kiddos!

What New Years is complete without a SURPRISE Wedding???

At 11PM our life group gathered together and Brian, who, yes, is an ordained minister, married Cathy and Stefan at Bill's house.  The only ones that knew were Brian and I since we helped them prepare throughout the day.  They were engaged and just decided that morning that this is how they wanted to do it.  So, surrounded by our fabulous life group they became husband and wife!

Yay!!!  Mr and Mrs. Luebke!

A couple days to breathe... kind of!

                                                                  The Cat in the Hat!

Bowling!

This girl had her ball STOP five times!  One game with five of us took 2 hours and ten minutes.  It was fun, but a true lesson in patience for mama!

Love this picture!

Some Remodeling thrown in of course!

Ahhh...  So, much better!

Back To Bloomington!

This time to celebrate Grandpa's retirement!  Now he will have more time with these little monkeys!

Last Day Mommy Date!

The other girls started back already and so mommy and Skyla headed out on a date to get some sweets at Paradise cafe, some bling at Charming Charlie's and then some color at the nail salon.  Sky had no idea what we were doing.  We had such a great time.

Did that all seriously just happen in two weeks?  Yes it did.  

Now we close the book on the holidays

              We prepare for what is ahead

                     and that is all there is

                             there isn't anymore...